Automatic and guided system for transporting people and method for controlling transport modules running in such a system

ABSTRACT

A system for automatic and guided transport of people, the system including: at least one running track having guide members for guiding transport modules; an electric power supply system comprising a sequence of power supply blocks; electric self-propelled transport modules travelling individually along the running track and fitted with a collector for picking up electric power supplied by the power supply blocks; and an electric power supply distributor controlled by a central control unit managing the progress of the transport modules by powering or unpowering various power supply blocks.

The present invention relates to a system for automatic and guidedtransport of people, designed with intrinsic safety and with regulationby electric power supply feed. The invention also relates to a method ofcontrolling transport modules travelling in such a system.

Automatic and guided transport of people makes use of installations asdifferent as elevators (lifts) and automatic urban railway systems(metros). An automatic metro is designed to take the place ofconventional metro lines using drivers. An automatic metro train isintended to transport a large number of passengers over a length of linethat is relatively long. An automatic metro generally has tractionmotors powered with electricity taken from a collector shoe in contactwith a current conductor which is permanently live, e.g. a third railextending along the entire length of the line, and each automatic metrotrain carries its own control and regulation system acting on the powerfed to its traction motors as a function of signaling. Such an automaticmetro installation suffers from the drawback of involving rolling stockand infrastructure that are quite complex and of requiring the presenceof an expensive signaling and surveillance system to ensure that theinstallation is safe and in particular to prevent collisions betweendifferent automatic metro trains travelling on the same track.

The invention is intended to provide an automatic transport systemrequiring a low level of investment by combining in a single subsystemall of the functions usually performed by signaling, driving, andfeeding electric power. For this purpose, the guided self-propelledvehicles are provided with fixed onboard functions which are actuated asa function of the presence or absence of a voltage on one or moreelectric power supply conductors on the ground and as a function oftheir position along the line.

The invention provides an automatic and guided system for transportingpeople, the system comprising:

-   -   at least one running track having means for guiding transport        modules, each transport module being constituted by a single        self-propelled vehicle or a self-propelled vehicle associated        with one or more other transport vehicles;    -   an electric power supply system comprising a sequence of power        supply blocks;    -   electric self-propelled transport modules travelling        individually along the running track and fitted with means for        collecting electric power supplied by the power supply blocks,        said transport modules moving automatically along the track when        the collector means are electrically powered, and including        brake means that come into operation when the collector means        are no longer powered with electricity; and    -   electric power distribution means comprising switch means which        supply said electric power to the various power supply blocks        and which are controlled by a central control unit managing the        progress of the transport modules by causing the various power        supply blocks to be powered or unpowered, the presence of a        transport module on a power supply block preventing power being        applied to one or more blocks situated behind the block that is        occupied so as to maintain a safety distance between the various        transport modules travelling independently along the track.

Preferably, the transport modules possess operating parameters that arefixed under nominal voltage and load, specifically: starting withdetermined acceleration when power is established; travelling at acontrolled cruising speed using traction means and/or brake means as afunction of the speed reached; slowing down with determineddeceleration; and braking with predetermined deceleration when power isremoved.

The transport modules may comprise means for controlling startingacceleration, cruising speed, and deceleration, both while slowing downand while braking, so as to ensure that the module operates inapplication of operating parameters that are fixed, independently of theload of the module, of variations in the power supplied by the collectormeans, and of variations in the gradient profile of the track.

The transport system may comprise stations distributed along the trackwhere passengers can board and alight.

The transport system may comprise means for detecting when a transportmodule is approaching a station to deliver a signal to means for causingthe module in question to slow down to a slow speed or until it hasstopped at the station for allowing passengers to board and/or alight.The transport module restarts automatically by means of a timeddoor-closing command which runs on from the start command. Elevator doortype safety interlocks authorize this start command. They can beassociated with a detector for detecting an object engaging a loadinggauge at the end of a platform.

The transport system may comprise detector means for detecting thepresence of a transport module in a power supply block.

The means for detecting that a block is occupied by a module can be ofthe axle counter type, of the optical detector type, or indeed of thetrack circuit type, or they can be implemented by means for processingan encoded signal conveyed by the electrical link between the transportmodule and the live rail.

The transport system can have a single running track, possibly withpassing tracks if there are any intermediate stations, each end of thetrack being fitted with a device for turning a module around. The systemcan comprise two tracks, with loops interconnecting corresponding endsof the tracks. The running track can be a closed loop so as toconstitute a ring. The system can also comprise two tracks that areinterconnected at each end by a system of switches (points) or by adevice for turning a module around.

Advantageously, the power supply blocks are formed by conductor railsmounted on an insulating support, the power supply blocks beingelectrically insulated from one another, the electric power collectormeans fitted to the transport modules being collector shoes placed so asto rub along the conductor rails of the power supply blocks.

The brake means of each transport module may comprise a spring-drivenmechanical brake.

The transport system may comprise means for withdrawing transportmodules from the running track, or for adding modules thereto.

The invention also provides a method of controlling electricself-propelled transport modules travelling individually on a runningtrack provided with guide means, each transport module having collectormeans for picking up electric power supplied by a power supply systemcomprising a sequence of power supply blocks, the method beingcharacterized in that the progress of transport modules is controlled bypowering or unpowering various blocks, said transport modules travellingautomatically on the track whenever the collector means are electricallypowered and including brake means which come into operation whenever thecollector means are no longer electrically powered.

According to another characteristic of the method of the invention, thepresence of a transport module in a power supply block prevents powerbeing applied to one or more blocks behind the occupied block so as tomaintain a safety distance between the various transport modulestravelling individually on the track.

According to another characteristic of the method of the invention,those power supply blocks that are not occupied by a transport moduleare not supplied with electric power, and vehicle progression iscontrolled by feeding power to some of the power supply blocks.

According to another characteristic of the method of the invention, bydefault the power supply blocks are electrically powered, and theprogress of the vehicles is stopped by removing power feed to certainpower supply blocks.

According to another characteristic of the method of the invention, acentralized control unit organizes travel of the transport modules onthe basis of information concerning the position of each transportmodule.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and other advantages andfeatures will appear on reading the following description given by wayof non-limiting example and accompanied by a drawing which is a diagramshowing how a particular embodiment of an automatic and guided systemfor transporting people of the invention operates.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The transport system comprises an installation made up of running tracksfitted with guide means. They can be constituted by running rails thatalso perform guidance. They can equally well be constituted by runningtracks associated with distinct guidance means.

The accompanying figures shows a portion of an installation of atransport system of the invention in which the running track isconstituted by two parallel stretches of rail 10 and 20. Two transportmodules are shown, each constituted by a single vehicle 1 or 2.

The installation has a ground level electric power supply system 30constituted by a sequence of power supply blocks 31 to 35 for theportion of the installation that is shown. The ground level electricpower supply system 30 constitutes a third rail that is electrically incommunication with collector shoes 3 and 4 corresponding to the vehicles1 and 2 respectively. The collector shoes 3 and 4 are in electricalcommunication with an onboard power supply circuit given respectivereferences 5 and 6, and with respective traction motors 7 and 8.

These onboard power supply circuits 5 and 6 control the operation of thetraction motors 7 and 8 so that the vehicles 1 and 2 start withpredetermined acceleration when current appears at the collector shoes3, 4 and travel at a given cruising speed under nominal voltage. Eachvehicle 1, 2 also has an electromechanically controlled spring-drivenmechanical brake which acts when the collector shoe 3, 4 is no longerpowered and which serves to brake the vehicles 1, 2 with predetermineddeceleration.

The ground level electric power supply comprises a power supply line 40for powering the various power supply blocks 31 to 35 via switch meansgiven respective references 41 to 45, return being via one of thestretches of rail 10 or 20. The switch means 41 to 45 are connected to acentralized control unit 50 controlling the application and removal ofvoltage to each of the power supply blocks 31-35.

The installation has detector means 51-55 for detecting the presence ofa vehicle 1, 2 in a power supply block 31-35. These detector means 51-55are known in themselves and are, for example, of the axle counter type,of the optical detector type, or constituted by means for processing anencoded signal conveyed by the electrical connection between thetransport module and the live rail.

The detector means 51-55 are advantageously placed at the junctionsbetween successive power supply blocks so as to detect when a vehicle 1,2 passes from one power supply block to another.

The detector means 51-55 are connected to the central control unit 50,which unit includes a computer that analyzes the signals issued by thevarious detector means 51-55 so as to deduce therefrom how the variousvehicles 1, 2 are progressing and whether or not a vehicle 1, 2 ispresent in any particular power supply block 31 to 35.

Knowing the positions of the vehicles 1, 2 on the running track, thecentralized control unit 50 manages progress of the vehicles 1, 2 bysending instructions to the switch means 41 to 45 for powering the powersupply blocks on which the vehicles 1, 2 are to be found. The controlunit 50 also ensures simultaneously that a safety distance is maintainedbetween any two vehicles 1, 2 by preventing power being fed to one ormore power supply blocks situated between two power supply blocks thatare under power for causing two respective transport modules 1 and 2 toadvance.

Thus, in the example shown in the accompanying figure, in order to causethe vehicle 1 to advance from power supply block 32 to power supplyblock 31, the central control unit 50 sends a signal to the switch means42 so as to cause the power supply block 32 to be powered, therebycausing the vehicle to start with given acceleration under the controlof its onboard power supply circuit 5. When the vehicle 1 reaches thedetector means 52, a signal is sent to the central control unit 50 whichthen acts on the switch means 41 to cause the power supply block 31 tobe powered, with the power supply block 32 then being unpowered after atime delay sufficient to ensure that the collector shoe 3 has alreadycome into contact with the power supply block 31 by the time power feedto the block 32 is interrupted. Simultaneously with power supply block32 being unpowered, the central control unit 50 ensures that no electricpower can be fed from the line 40 to both blocks 32 and 33. As a result,any vehicle 2 running onto power supply block 33 would no longer bepowered if vehicle 1 were still in power supply block 31, thus ensuringthat a safety distance is maintained between the various vehicles 1 and2. Naturally, the number of power supply blocks that are unpoweredbehind a block that is powering a vehicle is a function of the length ofthe power supply blocks relative to the length of the vehicle, andincreases with decreasing length of power supply block relative tovehicle length. Furthermore, additional protection of the transportmodules can be provided, by construction in each power supply block, bylocally inhibiting any instruction to feed power to an appropriatenumber of power supply blocks located behind a powered block.

To identify passenger boarding and alighting zones, the installation canhave a plurality of stations that are not shown in the accompanyingfigure. These passenger stations can advantageously be fitted withsensors or beacons for detecting the approach of a vehicle and forsending a signal to the central control unit 50 so that the power supplyto the block on which the vehicle is to be found is interrupted and thevehicle comes to rest at the station.

The stations can be fitted with platform doors in order to furtherimprove transport safety.

The vehicles can be programmed to have acceleration, cruising speed, anddeceleration which are a function of the density of vehicles travellingon the running track. Depending on traffic density, a plurality ofvehicle travel space-time relationships can be implemented.

In a variant embodiment, the central control unit 50 can maintainelectric power supply to the blocks powering the vehicles 1, 2 as theyapproach stations, with the vehicles 1, 2 slowing down and stopping atthe stations under the control of a determined operating sequencecontained in the power supply circuit 5, 6 onboard the vehicles 1, 2,with said sequence being launched by the sensors or beacons situated onthe track close to the stations.

The installation of the present invention possesses the advantage ofsimplicity and of being of low cost (no driver), the centralized controlunit combining functions that are normally performed by signaling,automatic driving, and power supply. The transport system of theinvention thus makes it possible to simplify the architecture of anautomatic metro to a great extent.

Advantageously, information is transferred between the central controlunit 50 and the detector means 51-55 using a bus type informationnetwork, said information network also providing information concerningthe power supply state of the blocks 31 to 35 and being suitable foracting as a control channel for the switch means 41 to 45.

Naturally, the invention is not limited in any way to the embodimentdescribed and shown which is given purely by way of example.Modifications are made possible, particularly from the point of view ofhow the various elements are made or by substituting technicalequivalents, without thereby going beyond the field protected by theinvention.

Thus, in the particular embodiment shown in the figures, the vehiclesare of a length that is shorter than the length of a power supply block.Nevertheless, in a variant embodiment (not shown), the power supplyblocks could be of a length that is shorter than the length of thevehicles.

1. A system for automatic and guided transport of people, the systemcomprising: at least one running track having means for guidingtransport modules, each transport module being constituted by a singleself-propelled vehicle or a self-propelled vehicle associated with oneor more other transport vehicles; an electric power supply systemcomprising a sequence of power supply blocks; electric self-propelledtransport modules travelling individually along the running track andfitted with collector means that collect electric power supplied by thepower supply blocks; and electric power distribution means comprisingswitch means which supply said electric power to various power supplyblocks and which are controlled by a central control unit managing theprogress of the transport modules by causing the various power supplyblocks to selectively be in a powered state, in which electric power isapplied to a power supply block, and an unpowered state, in which noelectric power is applied to the power supply block, the presence of atransport module on a power supply block preventing power being appliedto one or more blocks situated behind the block that is occupied so asto maintain a safety distance between the various transport modulestravelling independently along the track, wherein each transport moduleis provided with a fixed onboard controller that controls startingacceleration, cruising speed, and deceleration, both while slowing downand while braking, of the transport module, each transport module beingpowered when a voltage on one or more electric power supply conductorsis provided from a power supply block in the powered state, saidtransport modules moving automatically along the track when thecollector means are electrically powered by the power supply block inthe powered state, and including brake means that come into operationwhen the power supply block is in the unpowered state and the collectormeans are no longer powered with electricity, wherein the fixed onboardcontroller controls starting acceleration, cruising speed, anddeceleration of the transport module independent of variations in theelectric power supplied to the fixed onboard controller when thetransport module is located on a power supply block in the poweredstate.
 2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the controller includesoperating parameters that are fixed under nominal voltage and load, suchthat the transport module is started with a determined acceleration whenpower is established, the transport module travels at a controlledcruising speed using traction means and/or brake means as a function ofthe speed reached, the transport module slows down with a determineddeceleration, and the transport module is braked with a predetermineddeceleration when power is removed.
 3. A system according to claim 1,wherein the transport modules include means for controlling startingacceleration, cruising speed, and deceleration both while slowing downand while braking so as to ensure that the module operates inapplication of operating parameters that are fixed, independently of theload of the module, of variations in the power supplied by the collectormeans, and of variations in the gradient profile of the track.
 4. Asystem according to claim 1, further comprising stations distributedalong the track where passengers can board and alight.
 5. A systemaccording to claim 4, further comprising means for detecting when atransport module is approaching a station to deliver a signal to meansfor causing the module in question to slow down to a slow speed or untilit has stopped at the station for allowing passengers to board and/oralight.
 6. A system according to claim 1, further comprising detectormeans for detecting the presence of a transport module in a power supplyblock.
 7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the at least onerunning track comprises a single running track, each end of the trackbeing fitted with a device for turning a transport module around.
 8. Asystem according to claim 1, wherein the at least one running trackcomprises two tracks interconnected at each end by means for turning atransport module around, loops interconnecting the corresponding ends ofthe tracks.
 9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the power supplyblocks are formed by conductor rails mounted on an insulating support,the power supply blocks being electrically insulated from one another,the electric power collector means fitted to the transport modules beingcollector shoes placed so as to rub along the conductor rails of thepower supply blocks.
 10. A system according to claim 1, wherein thebrake means of each transport module comprise a spring-driven mechanicalbrake.
 11. A system according to claim 1, further comprising means forwithdrawing transport modules from the running track, or for addingmodules thereto.
 12. A method of controlling electric self-propelledtransport modules travelling individually on a running track providedwith guide means, each transport module having collector means forpicking up electric power supplied by a power supply system comprising asequence of power supply blocks, the method comprising: controlling theprogress of transport modules by causing various power supply blocks toselectively be in a powered state, in which the electric power isapplied to a power supply block, and an unpowered state, in which noelectric power is applied to the power supply block, wherein eachtransport module is provided with a fixed onboard controller thatcontrols starting acceleration, cruising speed, and deceleration, bothwhile slowing down and while braking, of the transport module, eachtransport module being powered when a voltage on one or more electricpower supply conductors is provided from a power supply block in thepowered state, said transport modules moving automatically along thetrack when the collector means are electrically powered by the powersupply block in the powered state, and including brake means that comeinto operation when the power supply block is in the unpowered state andthe collector means are no longer powered with electricity, wherein thefixed onboard controller controls starting acceleration, cruising speed,and deceleration of the transport module independent of variations inthe electric power supplied to the fixed onboard controller when thetransport module is located on a power supply block in the poweredstate.
 13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:preventing power from being applied to one or more blocks behind anoccupied block so as to maintain a safety distance between the transportmodules travelling individually on the track in response to a transportmodule being present in the occupied block.
 14. A method according toclaim 12, wherein power supply blocks that are not occupied by atransport module are not supplied with electric power, and progressionof the transport modules is controlled by feeding power to some of thepower supply blocks.
 15. A method according to claim 12, wherein thepower supply blocks are electrically powered by default, and in thatmovement of the transport modules is stopped by removing power feed tocertain power supply blocks.
 16. A method according to claim 12, furthercomprising organizing, by a centralized control unit, travel of thetransport modules on the basis of information concerning the position ofeach transport module.